The present invention relates generally to the field of accessories, such as houses and feeders, for wild birds, and, more specifically, to birdhouses and bird feeders which are formed substantially entirely of conventional ceramic clay flowerpots.
Typically, houses and feeders are made from wood, although sometimes from other materials such as basketry, plastic or glass jars or bottles, metal sheets or cans, or various combinations of such materials. Due to prolonged exposure to weather, bird droppings, and physical damage caused by the beaks and claws of bird using the known accessories various problems were encountered with some of the above materials. These problems include decay such as corrosion or rot of the accessory per se because of contact with moisture from the weather and bird waste, as well as molding of bird feed or the accessory itself because of lack of drainage. Often, in known bird accessories, sufficient ventilation was lacking, making the item unsuitable for long term use, as necessary for raising chicks or storing feed. With some materials known in the art of wild bird accessories too much expense is involved in making the product for the product to be suitable for such outdoor uses. In other cases, portions of the structure of a birdhouse or feeder were made of metal or wood, which would corrode or rot.
Some very old patent art exists which shows the use of ceramic pottery for a portion of a birdhouse. These references include U.S. Des. Pat. No. 87,460, U.S. Des. 117,053, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,894,406 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,178. None of these birdhouses was made entirely of other items of pre-formed ceramic clay, but instead included substantial portions of other materials; e.g. metal or wood. None of them disclose the structural assembly of ceramic clay flower pots for forming an accessory for wild birds as disclosed herein.